The invention relates to an apparatus for indicating the end of a tape in a tape recorder, and more particularly to a tape end display for use in a tape recorder which permits a combined display of the voltage condition of a battery internally housed within the tape recorder and of the end of a tape winding operation.
In a tape recorder which employs an electrical storage battery as a drive source, it is necessary to check and display whether the battery voltage maintains a reference voltage which is required for a normal operation of the tape recorder. If the battery voltage is reduced below the reference voltage, the battery must be replaced for proper operation of the tape recorder since it is, for all practical purposes, exhausted.
It is also desirable to indicate the running of a magnetic tape by some means in order to avoid the failure to record significant information. A tape cassette is usually provided with a transparent window through which a tape running can be recognized. However, a tape recorder in which the tape cassette is loaded is often provided with a cover plate which is placed over the cassette, thereby making it difficult to observe the internal running tape through the viewing window. Therefore, it will be convenient if there is provided some means such as an illuminating display which permits the running of a tape to be easily recognized.
However, providing separate displays for indicating a tape running and a checking of the battery voltage is undesirable in view of both space and cost limitations. In particular, with a miniature tape recorder using a well known micro tape cassette, the space within the body of the recorder is extremely limited, preventing the provision of separate displays. For this reason, a conventional apparatus is only provided with an illumination display of the battery voltage, and no display is made of the tape running and the tape end. Therefore, it will be useful to provide a combined display for the both purposes.